The Best Director

In the Flame Film Production Studio’s office for “Firefly”, where several storyboard panels on the walls were plastered with various concept art, prop and set designs, Wang Yang staggered at Heath Ledger’s words. Puzzled, he asked, “Which one?” “Firefly” was about to start shooting that afternoon, followed by a few commencement interviews. This one?

Heath Ledger shrugged with a smile, yet he was extremely nervous inside. Please agree, please agree! He touched his nose and said, “All of them.” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh, curious and bewildered, “Why?” Heath Ledger clasped his hands together unnaturally, his thumbs fidgeting with each other. The topic was indeed a bit awkward and juvenile. He cleared his throat, his voice deep, “Uh, cough… I’m not very fond of doing these things. I’m not good, I don’t know how to communicate with the media. So it would be best if I could, cough, not have to.”

“Hmm…” Wang Yang silently nodded. In the time they had worked together, he found that Heath Ledger’s personality did resemble Ennis Del Mar’s; on one hand, he was repressed, often silent and inarticulate in public, but on the other hand, he was passionate and yearned to break free from convention. It was not hard to understand how he could portray the manic Joker so vividly.

Not participate in media interviews? Including the commencement, shooting, main post-production marketing, release, awards campaigning, DVD sales… all these phases together were not just once or twice. “Firefly” needed Heath Ledger. Wang Yang leaned back in his chair and suddenly spread his hands with a smile, “Heath, why are you so nervous? Is the media a monster? You’re usually not like this. Come on, buddy!” He said earnestly, “We’re friends, not just colleagues, unless you don’t consider me a friend.”

“No, of course not!” Heath Ledger quickly replied. He always liked making friends, but the nervousness, the fear… who knows. Regardless of Heath’s thoughts, Wang Yang continued,” In any case, I hope you don’t see me just as a director, a producer, and distance yourself, thinking I don’t like hot chicks. I’m 24, and so are you; we’re young, anything you want to talk about, movie-related or not, I think we can be good friends.”

Heath Ledger’s smile was somewhat shy. A director of his age being such a close friend was a new experience; he nodded and said, “I think so too.”

“Of course.” Wang Yang smiled. This shy yet crazy guy was interesting. He knew this was like a transaction – to hear some sincere words, you had to show your loyalty first, especially with someone like Heath Ledger. Reflecting on the past few years, Wang Yang took a deep breath. It was as if confiding as much as talking to himself, “We’re about to start shooting. This is my ninth film as a director. I’ll tell you the truth, I feel a huge pressure, more than all of my previous ones combined. But this pressure, I can’t let anyone know, not my wife, my family, my friends, the crew, the media… Sometimes the only one I talk to is Danny, my Labrador, because he certainly can’t snitch.”

“Ha ha.” Watching the tired look of the great director, Heath Ledger felt a deep understanding. He knew the feeling of being suffocated by pressure, but he wanted to ask, “Why tell me?” As though Wang Yang heard, he shrugged, “If I told Jessica, she’d definitely feel sorry and comfort me, and I’d certainly be comforted. But no, I think a man should bear these things, share 10% of the unhappiness, and contribute 100% happiness.”

Heath Ledger nodded, “You’re a good man.” He couldn’t help but doubt more about the issues he had recently begun to question. Was his past life, the way he’d handled relationships… was it wrong? How should he confront Michelle Williams, this extraordinary woman…

“This film has too many challenges I’ve never faced before. I don’t want to screw it up,” said Wang Yang, pursing his lips. He didn’t want to screw up but wasn’t afraid; he had the courage to face these challenges! He went on, “Don’t think I seem to handle everything with ease. I actually hate dealing with the media all day, the endless award ceremonies, the endless interviews, the relentless paparazzi… Damn it! I wish I knew how to quit them!”

Heath Ledger couldn’t help but smile hearing the classic line from “Brokeback Mountain,” exhaling deeply as some of the pressure of the past few months was relieved. He shook his head, “I want to know, too.” Wang Yang stated the truth, “Unless you leave the industry, retire, we have to keep going!” He spread his hands, “I hate dealing with the media because, oftentimes, when you want to call them ‘scum,’ you can only hold it in, maintain your image.”

“You know I’m Asian – so many people are waiting to see some scandal of mine, sex, excessive drinking, drugs, fighting; or which film I’ll screw up, ‘Firefly’, just so they can stomp me to death! Ha-ha, it should be them watching Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr., those assholes that deserve to be fucked by a bear!”

Wang Yang cursed and punched the table, becoming somewhat excited himself. These weren’t lies. Without naming names, some critics who had engaged in the spat over “The Devil Wears Prada” wanted to see him finished; the company faced difficulties with promotion and theatre resources, often having to find alternative paths, creating new sales models. There were also many people, gossip media, hoping, setting their sights, and trying hard to find scandals in his personal life, but since he seldom attended parties, he always disappointed them.

“Ha ha!” Wang Yang suddenly laughed and looked at the silent Heath Ledger, “I can’t get too close to you, the rumors that I’m gay or bisexual are already too many! They’ve insulted sexual orientations, God witness, I only like women, and now I’m just in love with one woman.”

Listening to his candid and swearing heartfelt words, Heath Ledger felt touched. This great director really considered him a friend, a good friend. He began to speak, “Uh… I also despise those media, they won’t leave any corner of your life alone, if not for making movies, I wouldn’t come to America, I like Sydney, the breeze there is refreshing… I just can’t adapt, those newspapers are seen by so many people, every interview… uh, it’s like a lot of people watching you. Watching Heath Ledger, uh, not Ennis, or the Blue Glove…”

Speaking of this, Heath couldn’t help but grow more confused; he didn’t quite understand the games these Americans played, but he knew that as an Asian, it was not easy for Wang Yang to be so well-loved in America. Beyond magical achievements, it was public image. He asked, “Uh, Yang, you hate the media so much, how can you still get along with them so well? And those award ceremonies… you’re just, too amazing.”

“I don’t completely hate the media, they are the informational bridge between filmmakers and fans, I just despise the gossip media that stir up trouble.” Wang Yang smiled and said that praising him for knowing how to deal with the media was really elevating him too much; he couldn’t even remember how many times he had “ranted”, only that his rants had come true; if not, he’d have been finished long ago. Thinking of this, he shook his head and laughed, “I think, there are still many people who really like Wang Yang, who like Heath Ledger, especially those around us, having people who matter, who care about you cheer for you, and making those who want to see you embarrassed feel disappointed, is also a fun thing.”

Heath Ledger pondered, but still did not alleviate his distress, “But when I attend those events… my whole body feels uncomfortable.” Wang Yang helplessly raised an eyebrow, speaking calmly, “Heath, you still have to accept some promotional interviews, I won’t arrange too many for you, but there will still be some. Actually, Heath, I know you, this is very contradictory, you don’t want to say insincere platitudes, you want to say ‘bastard’; yet you also want to maintain an image, one where everyone thinks ‘Heath Ledger? No problems with him,’ terrified that you’ll say one wrong word.”

“WELL!” Wang Yang suddenly clapped his hands together, not continuing.

It was like a school Christmas dance, where a carefully dressed boy stands in a corner looking cool with his hands in his pockets, seemingly casual, but actually caring very much about the attention and gazes of those around him, hoping the hottest cheerleader in school would hit on him; but at the same time, the boy didn’t want to attract too much attention, fearing the mockery from the jocks and school celebrities that might come over, and shy from performing on stage, making a big statement. He just wanted to have a good chat and fun with a hot girl in a world he could control, and if there were too many people, he would feel scared, unable to speak well. This was all due to a lack of confidence, inferiority, and self-abasement.

Inferiority and being passive could destroy a lot, ruin a love, ruin a person’s life.

Many actors chose this path because of a lack of confidence, dissatisfied with themselves, having an unpleasant life trajectory, wanting to become someone else… Perhaps Heath Ledger, who experienced parental separation at 10 and divorce at 11, was one of them.

“…” Heath Ledger didn’t get everything, but he’d grasped the undertone of Wang Yang’s words. His face uncontrollably blushed with embarrassment, then he heard Wang Yang self-deprecatingly say, “Speaking of that, you might not know, back in 1998, Zachary Levi, Rachel McAdams, and I were going on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Oh my God! I don’t even want to mention how nervous and excited I was, pretending to be calm, hands sweating, but at least I was better than Zachary, that guy, haha!”

“April 2004, coming up on 6 years, since I walked out of the University of Southern California, a full 6 years.” Wang Yang unscrewed a bottle of water and took a sip slowly. Everything felt like yesterday, fixing up apartments, auditions, shooting… His lips curled into a nostalgic smile, “‘Paranormal Activity’ also started filming around this time, 10,000 US dollars, I didn’t dare to think too much, just GOGOGO… Back then, the team was small, me, Zachary, Rachel, Jessica, and Joshua, maybe, he also counted as a set decorator, haha! Now, hundreds in the team, 200 million US dollars, what’s there to be afraid of?”

He stood up from the chair and walked out, patting Heath’s shoulder as he passed, “Dude, we’re about to start shooting! ‘Firefly.\'”

Heath Ledger felt a pang of pain as his shoulder was patted, his eyes fixed in contemplation. From a small community theater stage to now a 200 million dollar sci-fi movie production, he, Heath Ledger, had actually come this far, wasn’t it formidable? He pushed the table away with both hands and stood up to go, “What’s there to be afraid of?”

“This right here is the prop department office, where every single piece of the Serenity, even the smallest screws, are crafted by hand, clang clang clang clang—props master! Hey, Drew!”

The hefty Harry George, with a camera slung over his shoulder, and the sound technician carrying the microphone boom, along with others, meticulously filmed the introduction of the Firefly set by Wang Yang. This set tour, along with the start-up ceremony later in the afternoon, would be included in the DVD extras. The camera captured Wang Yang as he approached the prop office enclosed by walls on three sides. Drew Petrota and the rest of the props team members were sitting around a round table covered with blueprints and various molds, including a few prop guns.

“Hi!” Hearing the director’s shout, Drew Petrota looked towards the camera, the people next to him smiling broadly, and Wang Yang laughed and said, “Guys, I just realized, we need a time machine!” He faced the camera and said with an air of mystery, “Is there anything they can’t make? The universe? Hey! You’re underestimating them.” He continued along the path, quickly pushed open a door, and came to the costume room, announcing with a laugh, “So many clothes! This place monopolizes the garment business of the Firefly world.”

In the long room, clothes racks laden with various garments lined both sides. Shauna Milkovic Hays, the costume designer with whom he collaborated for the second time following District 9, was cutting fabric at the table, surrounded by team members organizing the Serenity crew’s costume fittings. Wang Yang approached the table and greeted with a smile, “Hi Shauna! How’s my outfit coming along? It has to look the coolest!” He then explained to the camera, “Yes, I will be making a cameo, a pivotal moment in my acting career.”

“Yang, rest assured, whatever you wear, you’ll look the coolest,” Shauna Milkovic Hays responded with a shrug, prompting everyone to burst into laughter. An elated Wang Yang exclaimed, “Wow, Shauna, you have taste! But this is just my style.” Pleased, he continued to walk through the room, introducing the rows of costumes designated for each character, until he suddenly saw a few women fussing over a dress. With a smile, he commented, “That’s my wife over there, the little devil in Prada! She has a thing for pretty clothes.”

Jessica, who was chatting with the makeup artists, naturally noticed him and beckoned endearingly, “Yang!” Wang Yang shushed the camera and walked down another corridor, “Let them continue matching up, I’m not in the mood to hear about the theory of sky blue. Hey! Look who that is! Ellen—”

“Hello Mr. Wang!” Ellen Page, dressed in blue overalls and a red T-shirt, radiated confidence, as though she had stepped right out of a concept sketch for Kaylee, simple and fresh with a touch of defiance. “Haha!” Wang Yang found her amusing and walked over, giving her two thumbs up, “Many people claim to be geniuses, but let me tell you the truth, this one here, she’s the genius! Small time compared to her is Robert Downey Jr.’s acting, so pitiful. And her portrayal of Kaylee, a self-taught spaceship mechanic, is genius too.”

Ellen Page had long been overwhelmed by the wondrous Yang’s praise, now she accepted it nonchalantly, nodding, “Yes, I got her.”

“She’s cool, isn’t she?” Wang Yang pointed to Ellen Page’s pony-tailed head and then continued to walk on, with Harry George and others following along, soon finding Donnie in the captain’s quarters set of Serenity. He spread his arms as he approached, “Hey, Robert Downey Jr.! Uncle Donnie, how are you?” Donnie glanced at them from his script and rose from the bed, “HELLO, everyone!”

Wang Yang and Donnie fist-bumped, and Wang faced the camera with a smile, “The role I’m playing is an old mate of Captain Mal’s, who fought together in the Serenity Valley. I have tremendous respect for this guy! But in reality, Uncle Donnie always wants to arm wrestle me and has been badly beaten by me. Hey, buddy, do you dare to have a match in front of this camera?” A glint in Robert Downey Jr.’s eyes showed he was eager for revenge. He hastily rolled up his sleeves, “Come on, come on!”

“Ha ha, I’m just kidding,” Wang Yang laughed and gave him a shove, taking the opportunity to go on to the next set, saying to the camera with a grin, “I still win, why take the risk? Bye-bye, Uncle Donnie.”

“Michael Pitt! Heath Ledger!” Wang Yang walked into the vast cargo hold set at the rear end of the spaceship. With stairs and a second-floor passageway installed since a month ago, one side of the moving set wall carried the “Serenity” emblem. He headed towards the two of them while they chatted. Upon seeing the filming crew for the extras, the uninhibited Heath Ledger felt somewhat awkward when the director shouted “Action!” and subconsciously ran his hand through his hair; the not-so-goofy Michael Pitt was no better, exuding a despondent air with no expression.

Wang Yang fist-bumped with the two and turned to face the camera, saying with a laugh, “These guys are the heartthrobs of Firefly, forget Robert Downey Jr., OK, let’s cut him some slack! Let’s hear what the two handsome men have to say?” Heath Ledger scratched his cheek and said, “Well yes, the set is well built, starting up soon, very good.” Michael Pitt uttered an “Oh” and smiled, “Since receiving Yang’s audition call, I’ve been looking forward to it, can’t wait to start.”…

Although Wang Yang is of Chinese descent, as always, the kickoff ceremony for his ninth directed movie didn’t come with the Hong Kong and Mainland China customs of worshiping gods, slaughtering roasted pigs, unveiling red cloths, or officials in attendance; but the blessing part, where everyone prays that the shooting goes well, was not left out, different religions silently offering their own prayers. Jessica murmured with lips moving and eyes closed, “Lord, I pray for the shooting of Firefly to go smoothly! May everyone do their best, act their best, may the box office create miracles, and may Yang win another Oscar for Best Director!”

The external ceremony included a press conference, a fashion show, photo opportunities, and interviews; while the internal ceremony, including a blessing, was much simpler—with all the cast and crew gathering together, and the creators taking turns to speak, offering encouragement and perspectives on the shooting.

“For the coming four, five, or even six, seven months…” Inside the vast green screen studio, all the crew members of “Firefly” gathered here—leading actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Heath, Michael Pitt, Daniel Wu, Ellen Page, Jessica, and primary creators like Joss Whedon, Drew Petrota, Sean Walsh, Donnie Yen, Shauna Milkovicn Hays, and others sat in the front rows on long benches, while the rest of the team members also looked towards the small stage where Wang Yang stood.

Meanwhile, Harry George, Joshua, and some other “continuing workers” were in charge of filming, taking pictures, and collecting bloopers.

“During this significant period of time, we will give it our all for ‘Firefly.\'” Looking at the familiar faces, Wang Yang could call out any one of their names: the production team, the director’s team, the cinematography team, the prop team, the set design team, the special effects team… He continued, “Many of you have been working with me for a long time, starting from ‘High School Musical’ at the end of 1998. Over the years, you’ve seen me grow from 18 to 24, and even get married. Let me start with a thank you—for not dismissing me as ‘YOUNG’ and thinking ‘YOU-NO-GOOD’. Of course, those who did think ‘YOU-NO-GOOD’ have already been kicked out by me.”

“Hahaha!” Everyone immediately burst into laughter, and as Drew Petrota recalled when YOUNG came to his studio to invite him to be the cinematographer, he couldn’t help but applaud, which immediately triggered a thunderous ovation. Glancing at Jessica’s smiling face, Wang Yang laughed again, “Thank you all for your ‘YOU-NECESSITY-GOOD’. We’ve been through many years, and just so you know, I’m not that autocratic. You’re aware of that.”

Listening to the suppressed laughter around him, Heath couldn’t help feeling inferior—not because of a lack of confidence, but because he truly lacked such eloquence and speaking ability. However, he knew that when it came to acting, he feared no one. If the Oscars were any standard, then the blue glove would surely be nominated.

“There are also many of you working with me for the first time. Soon you will find out that Wang Yang is a director you can trust. I will resolve any conflict, more effectively than the police.” Wang Yang paused, scanning the smiling crowd before concluding, “This story, this movie, it carries our ideas, passion, and hard work… Many don’t fancy it, and for that, I’ve implicated you all.” Amidst the chuckles, he kept on laughing, “But I believe in it, with its unparalleled charm! So, let’s pilot the Serenity, take off, and fly to the end of the universe! There’s nothing there! Stop laughing, thank you!”

Clap, clap, clap! Thunderous applause echoed through the green screen studio once again, as everyone laughed and clapped vigorously. Jessica thought to herself, “Yang, I’ll work hard to perform well!” Ellen Page had a thought flash by, “Let the amazing Yang see that I truly am a genius!” Downey laughed heartily, as he again steeled his resolve: “Here comes Captain Mal, the heartthrob!” Michael Pitt clapped, “Yami will know, Yang asking me to play, me agreeing, just how right it was.”…

“Also, Blue Glove, you go out… or actually, come in, space is too cold.”

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PS: I’m seeking recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. The new month is upon us, wow, I need your monthly tickets! Let’s go, everyone! (